Charles d



(No Model) 0. D. HUGHES.

TYPE DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

No. 582,743. Patented May 18,1897.

INVENTORI WITNESSES:

Alia me zzy/M By his UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

' CHARLES D. HUGHES, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE EMPIRE TYPE SETTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TYPE-DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,743, dated May 18, 1897.

Application filed July 1, 1896- Serial No. 597,704. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern." Y

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Distributing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in type-distributing machines, and particularly to that class of type-distributing machines which were invented originally by OTW. Dickinson, subsequently improved upon by William A. Lorenz and myself, and heretofore secured by Letters Patent of the United States No. 174,899, dated March 21, 1876, and No. 174,900, dated March 21, 1876, issued upon the application of Charles W. Dickinson; No. 174,915, dated March 21, 1876, issued upon the application of WVilliam A. Lorenz; No. 244,721, dated July 19, 1881, issued upon the application of Louis K. Johnson, and No. 244,725, dated July 19, 1881, issued upon the application of WVilliam A. Lorenz and Louis K. Johnson; and the same more particularly relates to improvements in certain parts of the mechanism of the machines described in the aforesaid Letters Patent.

The invention relates particularly to improvements in the construction of the plungers which move the row of carriers in the raceways and which plungers carry on their face devices acting upon the clutch of the carriers for opening the clutch of the carriers one by one as the carriers move down the raceway.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a part of a typedistributing machine of the character above indicated. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the improved plunger on the lines 3 3 of Fig. 5; Fig. 4, a similar vertical section of the plunger on the lines 4 4 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 an end view of the plunger.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the type of plunger used in the patents aforesaid a flat head m is provided, which carries on its face an adjustable knob or projection capable of being set so as to project a sufficient distance beyond the face of the plunger-head to open the clutch a suflicient distance to allow the insertionof a type by the type-driver and then allow the head m to come in contact with the end carrier of the row in the raceway and advance the line of carriers along the raceway. The constructionof this knob or projection is shown in Sheet 4 of Letters Patent to William A. Lorenz, No. 174,915.

In the construction shown in the existing machines the practical difficulty has been found that the knob required constant adj ustment, according to the conditions existing in the machine, and when the carrier arrived at the end of theline, the clutch of which had become slightly worn, or when the knob was not adjusted at sufficient length, the projection sometimes failedto open the clutch sufficiently to enable the type to be inserted therein by the type-driver, and when, on the other hand, the knob projected too far the whole line of carriers was pushed along the raceway by the knob acting upon the clutch alone, and thus skipped over a letter. To obviate these defects, I have invented the device forming the subject of the present application, which consists in substituting for the adjustable knob or projection shown in Letters Patent No. 174,915 two spring projections, one of which serves to open the clutch in the carrier, and the other of which serves to reduce the impact of the plunger when it moves forward to advance the row of carriers, to prevent the plunger from adhering to the carriers from any cause, and to diminish noise and facilitate the operation of the machine.

In the drawings, G is the galley of the typesetting machine of the character above described; C, the row of carriers; M, the raceways; A, the bed-table; m, the spring-case surrounding the plunger; m the plungerrod, and m the plunger-head.

The plunger-head is rectangular, of the form shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, and is covered by a plate '1 attached thereto by the screws 71., held firmly in place by the projection n fitting into the openings of on the head m as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The rod m is attached to the collar by the pin m, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. I11 the plunger-head are cut or sunk circular openings m and in. Eillih of these contains a spiral sprin m" and on cylindrical openings, are the hollow caps on and m. These are provided at their extremities with heads or projections n and n respectively, which project out through suitable openings in the platen, as shown. in Figs. 2, l, and 5. The projection 12? projects a sufficient distance to open any clutch to its fullest extent. The spring on is considerably stronger than the spring m' and is of sufficient tension to open wide any clutch, but not to move the line of carriers along their raceway. The carriers are arranged in two lines and are moved along the raceway in opposite direetions. The carriers in the front raceway are filled by the type-driver with types to be distributed.

At each step as the carriers move along the raceway they are subjected to the action of the feeler mechanism, which selects the appropriate type in the carriers and ejects the same therefrom. The empty carriers return through the rear raceway. At each end of the line the carriers are simultaneously subjected to the action of the carrier-plungers, which force the last carrier of the front line into the rear line at one end of the raceways and at the same time force the last carrier of the rear line at the other end of the raceways into the front line. The plunger shown in the drawings and to which the present application applies then advances the entire line of carriers in both raceways, at the same time opening the clutch of the first carrier in the front line. The line of carriers then pauses while a type is inserted into the first carrier and the feeler-hooks perform their function,

.whereupon the action proceeds as before.

Vhen the plunger which moves the front line of carriers along the raceway is moved forward in the operation of the machine, it will assume the position shown in Fig. 3. The springmbeing more easily compressed than the spring m will, by the action of the carrier on the projection n be compressed and assume the position shown in Fig. 3. The projection of, however, by reason of the greater strength of the spring m will force the clutch of the carrier open to its full extent (the position shown in Fig. 3) and hold the same open until a type is inserted in the carrier, and as the plunger is further advanced the additional resistance met by it through the entire line of carriers in the front raceway will compress the spring on and allow the face 71 of the plunger to rest against the carriers, and thus move the entire line of O ver these spiral springs, sliding in the carriers forward in the raceway. As the line moves forward the projection n will be advanced by the spring m", which will thereupon frce the plunger from the carriers, in case it should adhere to them for any reason, and permit the operation to take place without any jarring or hammering of the plunger. As soon as the operation is completed the plunger is drawn back to its original position and a new carrier is advanced from the rear line, and the operation proceeds as before. The relative length of throw of the plungers is regulated by the nuts m" upon the plungerrod 971 in the same manner as in the earlier machines.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the carrier and its clutch mechanism of the plunger-head, a pin for opening the clutch of the carrier, and a spring for actuating the pin.

2. The combination with the carrier and its clutch mechanism of the plunger head, a spring cushion device, and a pin for opening the clutch of the carrier, and a spring of greater tension than the spring actuating the cushion device for actuating the pin.

3. The combination with the carrier and its clutch mechanism of the plunger-head having a hollow seat cut in its interior, a cylinder terminating in a pin passing through an opening in the face of the plunger and sliding in said seat, and a spring within the cylinder for actuating it.

4. The combination with the carrier and its clutch mechanism of the plunger-head having a hollow seat cut in its interior, a cylinder closed at one end and provided with a shoulder on its periphery, sliding in said seat, and passing out through an opening in the face of the plunger and a spring within the cylinder for actuating the cylinder.

5. The combination with the carrier and its clutch mechanism of the plunger-head having in its interior two hollow seats, closed by a suitable face-plate, acylinder sliding in one of said seats, provided with a pin passing out through an opening in the face-plate, a second cylinder closed at one end and provided with shoulders on its periphery, sliding in the second seat passing through a similar opening in the face-plate, and a spring within each cylinder of varying tensions for actuating the cylinders.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 29th day of June, 1896.

CHARLES D. HUGHES.

Witnesses:

WILLARD PARKER BUTLER, JoI-IN FRENCH. 

